So how is, what is driving North Korea back into this reset of relations with China? And then also how is North Korea looking at China in the context of its burgeoning relationship with Russia? Does it still need China? Does it feel like China or Russia has more influence over it now? Which partner does it care about more? What are your thoughts on that?

You know, Bonnie really hit the nail on the head when she mentioned the geographic proximity of North Korea to China is something that is not going to change.

And, you know, when you look at China and its approach towards North Korea, There's a degree of confidence, of understanding, an intuitive view of North Korea that calibrates what type of bad behavior is really troublesome, what type you just simply need to turn a blind eye to.

I think if you're a deep history expert, you can't help but see how much North Korea's provocative course of based diplomacy is benchmarked off of Mao and that whole era.

And so there's a certain degree to which China understands and maybe empathizes with North Korea.

There's frustration, though.

There's frustration that, one, constant urgings to reform and open are met with, you know, the hand.

So, Sid, I mean, what are your thoughts on how North Korea is viewing these two patrons?

Yeah.

This is a great framework for, uh, President Trump and his team to explore some type of engagement or some type of contacts with North Korea.

I think Victor's instincts are right.

There'll be skeptics who will say either that we've tried this before or the very things that you would advocate, which were like tension reduction, you know, threat reduction, uh, crisis management, are all things North Korea would a-abhor.

What North Korea profits from is creating uncertainty, creating risk, creating a sense of hopelessness.

But, you know, at the same time, uh, the, the good news about North Korea and provocations over the years, what we've noticed, what we've observed, is fundamentally North Korea does not want war.

It know it is-- I-it knows it is overmatched.

That might be the only way he'd learn about it.